Lejos de avergonzarme, me pareció que el mundo real era un organismo extraño, completamente distinto a mi propio mundo imaginario. Me asaltó una terrible sensación de abandono que jamás había experimentado y me encontré sola, gritando y gritando sin obtener respuesta en un páramo desierto bajo la luz del ocaso". La propia estructura formal de la novela denota esa modernidad al dotar de género femenino al personaje principal de la novela, la hija, que es la narradora en primera persona. Pero también presenta muchas características propias de la literatura nipona, ritmo cadencioso, tono lineal, sin estridencias, un lenguaje sencillo y, sobre todo, esa minuciosidad en las descripciones de las cosas sencillas de la vida rutinaria (plantas, comidas, vestimentas, costumbres) que hacen de contrapunto a las ideas y acciones de los personajes. Me parece muy logrado que también en lo formal se pueda observar ese contraste. Hoye, Timothy (2011). "Styles of Truth in Dazai Osamu's Setting Sun". Voegelinian Readings of Modern Literature. University of Missouri Press. p.78. ISBN 9780826219152. she does not think Uehara will last much longer. The coarse simplicity once condemned and now sees in herself is essential to her survival—and that of her child. Western Culture

What is it with Japanese literature, I always feel a sense of awe whenever I plunge myself into artistic universe of the country of rising sun and Osamu Dazai does no harm to the reputation of it. I find that plot development and action have often been of secondary interest to emotional issues and most of the modern Japanese authors stressed upon consciousness of narrators and perhaps that why it has resonated so well with me. Though I’ve started to read Japanese literature last year only (so couldn’t really claim myself to be master of it :P) however I find most of the modern Japanese authors- whether it is Kwabata, Abe, Mishima or Dazai for that matter- have been able to portray problems or rather ironies of human existence and so effortlessly put forth the condition of human consciousness on the canvas of art that it’s only second (to me) to modern Russian literature. You may well find traits of nihilism, existentialism well evident in the works of probably all great modern Japanese authors. I guess perhaps world war, fate of Japan in it played major role in the way modern Japanese literature has come out; for people there might have felt disaffection, utter loss of purpose and the difficulty in coping up with defeat in the World War II might have also played major role in it. Besides, Japanese society has been strongly influenced by western culture, wherein it left its aristocratic roots to rapidly developed into industrialized society; the sense of alienation in urban life, crisis of purpose must have also played a great role the way the modern literature of the country has panned out. There are some very vivid pieces throughout the book which are so tragic that they render heart-wrenching affliction that you actually feel the agony of characters and in fact feel like crying with them; I’ve not come across such deplorable reading experiences for quite some time. There is one scene where Kazuko has been given job to look after lumber pile, the officer, who allocates her the job, provides her a book which could read if she may feel bored. After end of day, she runs up to him and hands over the book; she wants to extend her gratitude to him but somehow words fail to come out from her mouth. In this distressing silence she looks at his face, and when their eyes met, tears flown down in the eyes of both. It may across as a quite simple episode to a naïve reader but an active reader would only able to understand that so powerful it is that you actually feels a deep connect with the protagonist and feels like crying with her, such is the influence of mesmerizing prose of Dazai that it brings out emotions to life. The books present contrasting choices made by the characters, the choices which represent altogether different philosophical treatments; we have Naoji who could not able to sustain ravages of life in post-war era on one hand and finds comfort in the clutches of death while Kazuko keeps on lingering with courage and bravely fights out traditional society on the desire to live rather than succumbing to the teasing embrace of death; to live at any cost, perhaps that’s the most humane instinct. There are several incidents like episode the burning of eggs of snakes and fire outbreak where you can associate with self- pity and guilt felt by the protagonist; guilt and sense of pity which may strip oneself from all veils one may have developed to comfort oneself against the chilly reality of life and existence of oneself may stand naked without false sense of comfort, and which may be quite nippy realization. The revolution is far from taking place. It needs more, many more valuable, unfortunate victims. In the present world, the most beautiful thing is a victim."

See a Problem?

When mother discovered that I had burned the snake eggs, she certainly must have felt that there was something ill-omened in the act. This realization brought home to me the feeling that I had done a terrible thing in burning the eggs. Gazetede imparatorun resmini gördüm. Tekrar görmek isterdim. “ Gazete sayfasını annenin yüzüne doğru açtım.

Despite engaging in an affair with Mr. Uehara, Kazuko is ambivalent in her feelings toward the older man, finding aspects of his character and appearance repulsive. Ultimately, she decides that she loves him and wishes to have his child. Uehara is equally uncertain about her, displaying physical attraction and understanding even as he resents her aristocratic arrogance. Mrs. Uehara Kazuko and Naoji’s mother goes unnamed; she is a gracious lady with perfect taste. Her elegance and consideration for others often lead her to ruin. Indeed, Kazuko regards her mother as too beautiful and sensitive to survive in the coarse atmosphere of the modern world. As such, Kazuko is grieved but not surprised by her death. Her mother is arguably unconventional in her table manners and conduct, but Kazuko and Naoji both see her as the only true aristocrat in their family. Even as she dies, her face is “so full of animation that it seemed almost to shine.” Uncle Wada

Tengo miedo porque veo claramente que mi propia vida acabará pudriéndose mientras yo permanezco impasible, inmersa en esta rutina diaria como una hoja de musácea que se pudre en el árbol sin caer al suelo. Esto es lo que no puedo soportar y es por eso que necesito huir de mi vida actual, aunque esto suponga desviarme del código femenino de buenas maneras”. Anne soylu bir şekilde ölmek üzere, Naoji “soysuz “bir şekilde sonuna yelken açarken hikayeyi dinlediğimiz kızımız “ biz artık bu biçimde yaşayamayız” diyerek kaleme sarılır ve 7 yıl önce bir kez gördüğü bir adama, sevgili ya da metresi olma isteğini ileten 3 tane mektup yazar. Anlatının elini güçlendiren bölümlerden biri de bu mektuplardır. Bu mektuplarda biz çöküşe teslim olmaktan öte etik bir karşı duruşun yolunu arayan bir karakter görürüz. Dekadans dönemlerinde, ondan ekonomik olarak nemalanmayacak ya da konjonktüre yamanmayacaksak ( türk edebiyatının 12 Eylül çöküşü sonrası ürünleri genel olarak pişmanlık, nostalji, kabuğuna kapanma figürleri ve ağlak bir iç hesaplaşma ile konjonktürün içinden konuşmuştur, tutkusuz ve çıkışsızdır) delirme, intihar, aşk ve devrimcilik eldeki az sayıdaki seçeneklerden biridir. Ömrünü annesi ve annesinin değerlerine bağlılık ile geçiren anlatıcı annenin yaklaşan sonu ile başka bir yaşama bağlanmanın derdindedir. Aşk mektupları cevapsız kalınca, Naoji’nin kitaplığından Rosa, Lenin, Kautsky okur, devrimci olacaktır. Anlatıcı nasıl yırtacağından öte neresinden hayata tutunacağının derdindedir. Devrimci olamasa da Annenin ölümü ile harekete geçer, cevapsız mektuplara inat aşkının peşine düşer, bulur ama tahayyül ile gerçeklik uyuşmaz ama yine de hayalindeki adamla bir kez sevişir ve sabahında Naoji ardında mektup bırakarak intihar eder. The Setting Sun" presents in detail the Japanese society in the postwar period and the struggle between traditional society and modernism pictured in the struggle of an aristocratic family to overcome her past and leave its customs. The period in which the novel's action takes place is a period of transition for the characters as well as for Japan.

Yenilgi ve yıkım sonrası yazan bu adamların, geleneğin için de ya da geleneğe karşı olsun, hiç ucuza kaçmadan, basitleştirmeden, propaganda yapmadan duygularını okura geçirmesini ve benim gibi “ yetersiz milliyetçi”, bir insanı bile duygusal fırtınalara sürüklemesi es geçilir bir beceri değil. Dazai kitap boyunca, varoluşsal ve politik konjonktürden doğan dertlerini drama kaçmadan ve belki derdin bütününü göremeyen okur için bile ince bir üslupla işliyor ta ki son sözlerine kadar. Kazuko feels ashamed that such a gentle and beautiful person as her mother cannot continue to exist in a world where she must fight for survival. Soon after her mother’s death, she goes to Tokyo and finds Mr. Uehara. Though he is much changed and seems close to death, she finds that she still loves him. The two of them share a bed, talking nihilistically about the emptiness of life. On the following morning, Naoji commits suicide. Wolfe, Alan Stephen (1990). Suicidal Narrative in Modern Japan: The Case of Dazai Osamu. Princeton University Press. p.368. ISBN 0-691-06774-0. Kazuko, Naoji, and the other major characters in the novel are highly educated, and their conversation is filled with literary, artistic, and other cultural references. However, they seldom mention Japanese culture, preferring to discuss Chekhov, Goethe, Lenin, and other famous Western figures. When Kazuko talks of religion, it is always Christianity rather than Buddhism that claims her attention. She mentions Jesus several times and quotes at length from the Bible. Even the roses in her garden are from France or England. a b c Hadfield, James (18 January 2014). "The Setting Sun". Japan Times . Retrieved 8 September 2022.From then on, however, I came to hold, almost as a philosophical conviction, the belief: What is society but an individual?” I'm inclined to believe it is one of those loves that could as easily have not happened at all as it had started. That's kinda why I liked it. I could be basing that on my own "loves" that were a lot of talking myself into and build ups grown out of wanting something to be there. Blindnesses... Because of that, I can picture the rainbow and feel its shape. It is colorless because it is blind. The Western influence, especially his contemporary french symbolism, is clear in each chapter. A true japanese novel, The Setting Sun weirdly crosses that fearful line that scares western readers from eastern literature in a piece that feels universal and relevant even today. A man of divided beliefs, Naoji loves literature and other mindful pastimes but feels alienated from a society he regards as hypocritical and shallow. When he was younger, Naoji was addicted to opium; upon returning home, he relapsed into his old ways, living a dissolute lifestyle, drinking and taking drugs, and spending money irresponsibly. This winningly naive thought by the main character, upon reading a book on economics in the wake of WWII, her first foray into such "adult" matters, is emblematic of the stance taken throughout this narrative. It says - Forget all the larger complicated political/economic/etc. analyses and concerns of collective life in times of massive upheaval and destruction and focus on one's own responses to events, however untutored and illogical. Defeatism? Possibly. But also heroic and perpetually necessary. Through his own egocentricism and resolute determination to remain authentic, Dazai wrote a book that gets to the heart of a universal individualism, while at the same time advocating for transient beauties and dissolution and suicide.